


All the World is Ripped Asunder

by xylaria



Category: Blood Ties
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-25
Updated: 2013-12-25
Packaged: 2018-01-06 01:34:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,263
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1100865
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xylaria/pseuds/xylaria
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Everyone had left, and Vicki's world was unravelling.</p>
            </blockquote>





	All the World is Ripped Asunder

**Author's Note:**

  * For [elyssblair](https://archiveofourown.org/users/elyssblair/gifts).



> Thanks to ambyr for a very last minute beta. And all her spare commas.

Vicki stood in the middle of the floor, too stunned by the sudden unraveling of her life to do more than stare at the door while the tears streamed down her cheeks. Henry was wrong! It didn’t give her any sense of power to choose to save Coreen instead of defeat Astaroth. It was utter powerlessness, an impossible choice. Dammit! A sobbed escaped her throat, and Vicki wrapped her arms tightly around her waist, trying to stifle the hollow loneliness echoing through her chest. It would be worse if she had let Coreen die, she told herself. Mike would still have left, and she would never have been able to forgive herself. 

Vicki took a shuddering breath and realized that somehow she had ended up curled in the middle of the floor and someone was sitting next to her rubbing her back in comforting circles. For a brief second hope surged in her chest. Then she realized that the hand on her back was too small for even Henry and tendrils of long dark hair were falling across her shoulder. Sitting up, Vicki turned to face Coreen, feeling a momentary pang at the sudden coolness of her back. Sniffling, she pushed her glasses up to wipe her eyes and gave Coreen a weak smile. 

“Here you are comforting me, and I’m not the one who was possessed by a demon and had her heart ripped out.” 

Coreen just shook her head and smiled lightly. “Thanks for saving me.” She looked down at the floor. “I’m sorry Henry left.”

Vicki reached out and took Coreen’s hand. “I couldn’t have done anything else,” she said sincerely. “Not and lived with myself afterwards.” They sat there a moment, absorbing everything that had happened. Then Vicki shook her head and pushed herself to her feet. “I don’t know about you, but all this fighting demons and saving lives has given me an appetite. I think there is some leftover Chinese takeout in the fridge from last time I forgot to eat before coming over.” Vicki went to the fridge and pulled out three cartons of two-day old takeout and two of the beers she kept at Henry’s, setting them on the island in the kitchen with two forks.

“There is…” Vicki opened the first carton and peeked inside. “Beef and broccoli. Rice. Kung pao chicken. Take whichever you like, I like them both.” Coreen reached out and grabbed the carton of kung pao chicken, dumping some of the rice on top. Vicki did the same with the beef and broccoli, and they sat, eating and drinking their beers, in comfortable silence. 

Finishing the last bite of her chicken, Coreen pushed the carton away and sat fiddling with her fork, staring intently down at the table. Vicki watched her covertly, making a show of trying to stab the last piece of broccoli out of the bottom of the carton. Finally, just when Vicki thought she was going to have to prod her, Coreen looked up. 

“Do you think I could stay with you tonight?” She glanced down uncertainly, flipping her fork over and over in her fingers. “I don’t really want to be alone.”

Vicki reached out and pulled the fork gently from Coreen’s fingers, sticking it in the top of the stacked cartons to take to the sink. “Of course. I don’t think I’m going to be sleeping much tonight myself.” Coreen nodded her thanks and began collecting their things while Vicki tossed the empty cartons in the trash and washed the forks. 

They made their way out into the cool night air. It was surprisingly early given everything that had happened that day, and the streets were still busy with late-night revelers. Vicki opened her apartment door with a sigh of relief, dumping her purse on the counter in the same movement in which she turned on the lights. Coreen followed her in, looking around curiously, and Vicki realized that in the year Coreen had been working for her she had never been to Vicki’s apartment. 

“Bathroom’s through there if you want to wash up; clean towels are in the cabinet next to the sink. I’ll bring you some pajamas.” Coreen immediately disappeared into the bathroom, and Vicki went into her bedroom, efficiently stripping the bed and dumping the dirty sheets into the hamper. Once the water in the bathroom had been running for a while she pulled a set of red plaid flannel pajamas out of the drawer and set them on the edge of the sink just inside the door of the steamy bathroom. Her mom had given them to her one year for Christmas; she hated them so they were essentially brand new.

Coreen emerged from the bathroom just as Vicki was straightening the comforter over the freshly made bed. With no makeup and her hair hanging in dripping tendrils next to her face, Coreen looked so young it made Vicki’s heart ache. 

“Make yourself at home,” Vicki said to cover her discomfort. “The bed’s clean. I’m going to take a shower and get some paperwork done.” Coreen nodded, looking lost, and Vicki grabbed her change of clothes and fled to the bathroom. 

Vicki jerked awake several hours later to Coreen screaming. Hastily pushing back from her desk where she’d fallen asleep, Vicki practically ran into the bedroom. Flipping on the overhead lights, Vicki saw Coreen sitting up in bed sobbing uncontrollably. Climbing onto the bed next to her, Vicki pulled Coreen to her, rocking her gently and making soothing noises as she cried. Finally Coreen’s sobs began to lessen, and Vicki pulled back so she could look Coreen in the eye. 

“You’ll be OK,” Vicki said seriously, tucking a stray strand of hair behind Coreen’s ear. “Maybe not tomorrow or next week. And you’ll never be who you were. But you’ll be OK.” Coreen nodded, sniffling, then grabbed a tissue from the bedside table and blew her nose noisily. Tossing the tissue in the waste bin, Coreen looked at Vicki pleadingly. 

“Stay with me tonight? I mean, in here?” When Vicki nodded Corren let out a breath and flopped back on the pillow. “Thanks.” Vicki lay down more gently next to her, reaching out to rub circles on Coreen’s back until Coreen’s breathing slowed into sleep. 

 *** 

Vicki woke the next morning to the sun shining directly into her eyes. The other side of the bed was empty, and Vicki felt a moment of panic until she heard noise from the kitchen and smelled coffee. Deciding not to dwell on what had happened the night before, she grabbed her glasses from the bedside table and rolled out of the bed. 

Coreen was moving confidently around the kitchen, mixing something in a bowl between tending something on the stove and sipping from her coffee cup. Another coffee cup was set out next to the nearly full coffee pot. Vicki stood in the doorway just watching for a minute. Through all their cases, all the freakiness, Coreen had been a steady presence. She had put up with Vicki’s worst moods cheerfully and greeted each new bit of craziness like it was an exciting new adventure. And yesterday Vicki had almost lost that. As that realization swept through Vicki Coreen looked up and saw her. 

“You’re up!” There were shadows behind the sparkle in her eyes now, and Vicki knew the healing process, for both of them, had only just started, but as Coreen poured coffee and served her half of a steaming omelet, Vicki thought they might just be able to get through this together.

**Author's Note:**

> I apologize if this story is a bit rough. I wrote this on the airplane Christmas Eve and posted operating under the theory that not fully edited treats were better than no treats.


End file.
